Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Economics
First Advisor
Partha Deb
Second Advisor
Matthew Baker
Academic Program Adviser
Matthew Baker
Abstract
This paper analyzes the effects of the Secure Communities (SC) immigration enforcement program on self reported health and healthcare-seeking behaviors of citizen and non-citizen Latinos with lower educational attainment. SC allowed local jails to use FBI and DHS data to determine whether arrested individuals were eligible for deportation. SC was rolled out across counties from late 2008 through 2013. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) and implementation records from Alsan and Yang (2024), staggered difference-in- difference regression estimates show that SC implementation increased the likelihood of a reported heart attack and heart disease across the sample. The estimates also show increased prevalence of diabetes and poor/fair general health rating for men. Women reported additional poor physical and mental health days. These results have important implications for the spillover effects of fear as a policy tactic and foreshadowing for an increasingly punitive immigration landscape.
Recommended Citation
Mendoza, Andrea Sofia, "Effects of Punitive Immigration Enforcement on the Health of Latinos with Lower Educational Attainment" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/1562
